Lander / Landmine
By 1988 the Transformers had become mere shells of
their former selves. In an uninspired attempt to append
innovative new features to the range while lowering
costs, and possibly follow a trend towards making
"action figures" (Ghostbusters and Masters of
the Universe were popular at the time), the
developers at Hasbro/Takara came up with "Pretenders".
Taking the Robots in Disguise ethos one step further (or one step too far), Pretenders were transforming robots designed to hide inside a human- or monster-like shell. Thus the inner robot was pretending to be something it wasn't... including being a Transformer.
Lander is either the Japanese version of Landmine, or Landmine is the Western version of Lander; but both toys are essentially the same. The Pretender shell is literally just that: A hollow shell within which you can place a weirdly proportioned, spindly robot.
Almost devoid of all articulation, the shell's arms move at the shoulders. Everything else has been scooped out to make space for the robot. You also get a helmet, a belt, a sword and a (non-firing) rifle. No change of clothes for a spontaneous weekend away to the seaside, however. A good job too, as Lander is already sounding more like a doll than a hulking all-powerful alien robot. Painted details are prone to flaking, so care needs to be taken.
Opening up Lander's shell reveals his inner robot mode, with his arms scrunched forwards and looking wholly uncomfortable. I would imagine any robot enclosed within such a tight space without proper lubricant draining facilities would look such a way.
Once free of his shell, Lander is a featureless, dull, rawboned robot with no point of interest apart from an oversized head. Like his shell, arms can pivot at the shoulders, but this is more a by-product of the transformation process than anything else. The shell's rifle can be held by the robot hands. Be careful though, the small pegs are very brittle and likely to snap.
Lander doesn't as much transform but fold in half. And in alternate mode, he doesn't look like anything aside from a robot that has been folded in half. With a lot of imagination you can picture Lander as a sort of tank. Sort of. Yes, there are wheels, yes there's a painted-on cockpit, but no, it's not a vehicle.
It's not a Transformer, it's just pretending to be one.
Lander was released in Japan in 1988 as part of the Masterforce line.
Taking the Robots in Disguise ethos one step further (or one step too far), Pretenders were transforming robots designed to hide inside a human- or monster-like shell. Thus the inner robot was pretending to be something it wasn't... including being a Transformer.
Lander is either the Japanese version of Landmine, or Landmine is the Western version of Lander; but both toys are essentially the same. The Pretender shell is literally just that: A hollow shell within which you can place a weirdly proportioned, spindly robot.
Almost devoid of all articulation, the shell's arms move at the shoulders. Everything else has been scooped out to make space for the robot. You also get a helmet, a belt, a sword and a (non-firing) rifle. No change of clothes for a spontaneous weekend away to the seaside, however. A good job too, as Lander is already sounding more like a doll than a hulking all-powerful alien robot. Painted details are prone to flaking, so care needs to be taken.
Opening up Lander's shell reveals his inner robot mode, with his arms scrunched forwards and looking wholly uncomfortable. I would imagine any robot enclosed within such a tight space without proper lubricant draining facilities would look such a way.
Once free of his shell, Lander is a featureless, dull, rawboned robot with no point of interest apart from an oversized head. Like his shell, arms can pivot at the shoulders, but this is more a by-product of the transformation process than anything else. The shell's rifle can be held by the robot hands. Be careful though, the small pegs are very brittle and likely to snap.
Lander doesn't as much transform but fold in half. And in alternate mode, he doesn't look like anything aside from a robot that has been folded in half. With a lot of imagination you can picture Lander as a sort of tank. Sort of. Yes, there are wheels, yes there's a painted-on cockpit, but no, it's not a vehicle.
It's not a Transformer, it's just pretending to be one.
VERDICT:
Lander was released in Japan in 1988 as part of the Masterforce line.